Battery terminal connector



May 23, 1939. Y J RICH 2,159,512

BATTERY TERMINAL CONNECTOR Filed Sept. 14, 1937 Inven for Patented May 23, 1939 I PATENT OFFICE 2,159,512 BATTERY TERMINAL CONNECTOR Herbert J. Rich, Glendale, Calif.,- assignor to National Cable & Metal 00., Glendale, Calif., a corporation of California 7 Application September 14, 1937, Serial No. 163,757

5 Claims.

This invention relates to and has for'an object the provision of a. battery terminal connector which is constructed so that it may be readily clamped upon a. battery terminal without being 5 distorted to an extent as would impair the operativeness thereof, or a good electrical connection with said terminal.

Another object of this invention is to provide a connector of the character described wherein 10 the clamping lugs which extend outwardly from the body of the connector and are moved together by means of a bolt and nut whereby to clamp the body on a battery terminal, are joined by .a web portion which will prevent undesirable 5 distortion of the connector and the terminal, and provide for an easily and quickly efiected tight and uniform clamping of said body around said terminal.

I have shownin the accompanying drawing a 20 preferred form of battery terminal connector embodying my invention, subject, however, to modification, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of my invention.

25 Fig. 1 represents a top plan view of a battery terminal connector constructed in accordance with this invention,

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the plane of line 22 of Fig. 1,

30 Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the plane of line 3-3 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the connector clamped upon a battery terminal,

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of a modified form 35 of the invention,

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the plane of line 6-6 of Fig. 5,

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken on the plane of line l--! of Fig. 5, and

40 Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the form of the invention shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7.

One embodiment of this invention, as shown in detail in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, of the accompanying drawing, comprises a radially split 5 apertured body 9 which is in the form of a cylindrical sleeve and is adapted to surround and be clamped upon a battery terminal H! as indicated in Fig. 4. Opposite its split side this split body 9 is provided with a socket I l to which a flexible 5 conductor I 2 is secured by being clamped therein as is customary in the art.

Extending outwardly from the body on opposite sides of the split are opposed lugs l3l3 having bolt receiving apertures l4 extending 55 transversely therethrough. These apertures are aligned for reception of a bolt I on which a. nut

I6 is mounted in the customary manner. The head of the bolt engages a shoulder ll on one of the lugs so'that uponmanipul'ation of the nut the lugs are moved towards and away from one 5 another as the case'may be, whereby to clamp and unclamp the splitbody 9, it being noted that the lugs l3l3 are spaced apart to provide for this clamping and unclamping action.

To prevent distortion ofthe lugs and body, 10 upon tightening the nut 16 Iprovide a connecting web l8 between the lugs l3|3. It will be noted that the connector is usually formed of lead or some other similar soft metal or alloy such that upon tightening the clamping means, distortion of the body and lugs takes place. Unless some means is provided to control this distortion, particularly in the lugs, they will be drawn together so that the outer ends converge and the inner ends spread apart. This distor- 20 tion tends to likewise distort the battery terminal engaging portions of the clamp so as to impair a good electrical contact. By having the connecting web l8 located between the outer ends of the lugs and the openings 14, said outer ends, are prevented from being bent towards one another convergently, as aforesaid, wherein the inner ends of the lugs which are attached to the contractible body are free to move together as desired, whereby to clamp the body uniformly upon the terminal. As here shown this web is comparatively thin and is located at the outer ends of the lugs, being formed during the stamping or molding operation of the connector, and is therefore an integral part thereof. In view of the thinness of the web it is capable of being compressed and will compress under pressure of the clamping means but nevertheless will resist inward movement of the outer ends of the lugs while the inner ends thereof are free to move inward as desired. In other Words the lugs Iii-I3 fulcrum at the web [8.

If desired the lugs may be provided with inward extending projections l9 which would contact one another should the web I8 become ruptured or collapsed, so as to prevent the undesirable distortion of the lugs.

I may construct the connector as shown in Figs. 5 to 8 inclusive, wherein the split body 20 corresponds to the body 9 and the lugs 2| and 22 correspond to the lugs l3l3, except that they do not have the inward projections I 9. The web 23 is formed integral with the opposite faces of the lugs 2| and 22 at the outer ends of the lugs, and serves the same purpose as the web [8. In

this form a bolt 24 and a nut 25 are provided as in the other form, and a flexible conductor 26 is clamped to the connector by means of a socket member 21 on the latter.

It should be noted that the desired leverage action for effecting a uniform clamping of the connector on the battery terminal may be enhanced by locating the bolt as close as possible to the inner ends of the lugs, whereby the lugs have their longer portions between their outer ends and the bolt openings.

It is now seen that with the connector of this invention, when the nut of the clamping means is tightened, the web resists the convergent movement of the outer ends of the lugs, while the innerends of said lugs are free to move towards one another whereby to clamp the split body uni formly upon the battery terminal.

torted to. the, extent that its operation;- and. an effective, electrical: contact will be impaired.

I claim:

1. A. battery terminal connector comprising an aperturedsplit body formed of soft deformable metal and adapted to be clamped around a battery terminaL, opposed spaced lugs of substantially' uniform length extended outwardly from said body on opposite sides of. the split thereof and being formed. integral with said body and having a cross sectional area equal at least to that of the body and having bolt receiving openings therein, a bolt extended through said opena nut associated with said bolt for effecting a. clampin of saidconnector and a relatively thin deformable web portion formed. integral with and joining said lugs at a point between thev outer ends of; the latter and said boltopenings. and adapted to. be distorted to. permit of the movement of the ljugstowards one another when the connector is. tightened,

2. A, battery terminal connector comprising an apertured split body of soft deformable metal adapted to be, clamped around, a battery terminal. opposed. spaced and substantially parallel lugs extended. outwardly fromv saidbody on'opposite sides of the split thereof andhaving bolt receiving openings therein, said lugs being of substantially uniform length. and substantialll equal. in thickmess, to that of the body, a bolt extended through said. openings, a nut. associated with said bolts for. effecting a clamping. of; saidconnector, opposed With this arrangement the connector may be clamped and unclamped many times without becoming" dis thereof and adapted to be drawn towards one another to clamp said body around a battery terminal,. said lugs having transverse openings between their ends for reception of a clamping bolt, andfla comparatively thin, deformable web portion joined to and extending between said lugs at a point between said bolt receiving openings and the outer ends of said lugs, to act as a compressible, fulcrum to cause the inner ends of said lugs to come closer together than said outer ends when said lugs are drawn towards one another.

4. A battery terminal connector comprising apertured split body adapted to be clamped arounda battery terminal, lugs extending outwardly from said body on opposite sides of the split, thereof and in substantial parallelism, being spaced apart substantially throughout their length, means operative between the ends of said lugs. for moving them together to clamp said body on. saidterminal and a relatively thin flat and narrow compressible web portion joining said lugs adjacent their outer ends and disposed between the upper and lower faces of said lugs.

5-. A. battery terminal connector comprising an apertured split body adapted to be: clamped around. a battery terminal opposed parallel lugs extended outwardly from said body on opposite sides of the split thereof and having alined bolt receiving openings therein, a bolt extended through said openings, a nut associated with said boltsfor effecting a clamping of said connector and a relatively thin compressible web portion formed integral with and joining said lugs at a point between the outer ends of the latter and said. bolt openings and between the upper and lower faces of said lugs, said lugs being of greater width between their outer ends and said bolt openings than between, their inner ends and said bolt openings, and being normally spaced apart y Said. web portion.

HERBERT J. RICH. 

